On being perceived as one-dimensional—a non-smiler: “I never go a day without smiling. People always say I have the same facial expressions. But what they don’t realize is that for a long time I looked that way because photographers on set would direct me to look “bored” or “very nonchalant.” But it isn’t necessarily the way I really am.”

On the negativity of social media and being in the public eye: “For a while I fought a lot of battles—with myself, with people online—and it brought me down. When people would say, “Oh, she’s so mean,” I wanted to say, “Maybe I’ve just had a bad day! Or maybe I’ve just been crying.” You never know what people are going through… [People] see such a small piece of our lives, like paparazzi photos of us leaving the house. You know how awkward that is? To walk out of your own home and have 40 people waiting outside. And then you need to smile at random strangers.”

On her morning routine to stay centered: “In the morning I make it a point to keep my phone away from me for 30 minutes so my brain can start functioning before I get completely overwhelmed by the media. Sometimes I just want to be me for 30 minutes, not “Bella.””

On being a homebody, not the party girl she’s thought to be: “People think I’m such a party girl, but that’s a thing of the past. I can’t wait to just sit on the couch this weekend! Now that our careers have gotten to the heights that they have and our job is to be around people all day and go to parties, the last thing I want to do on a Saturday night is go out. I just want to be around people who love me. Like you and I play video games, watch movies, paint pottery—all the stupid shit we used to do back in our childhood before we became Gigi and Bella.”